Rehabilitation Exercising Equipment that can Extend a User&#39;s Waist and Back

ABSTRACT

A rehabilitation exercising equipment includes a main frame, a seat mounted on the main frame, and a pivot mechanism pivotally mounted on the main frame and pivotable relative to the seat. Thus, when a user is seated on the seat, he/she can apply a force on the pivot mechanism to pivot the pivot mechanism backward and forward so as to extend and contract the user&#39;s waist and back, thereby achieving an exercising or rehabilitating function.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a rehabilitation equipment and, more particularly, to a rehabilitation exercising equipment.

2. Description of the Related Art

A conventional waist exercising equipment comprises a support frame, a handlebar mounted on the support frame, a rotation disk swivelably mounted on the support frame, and a damping mechanism mounted between the support frame and the rotation disk. Thus, when a user is rotation disked on the rotation disk, he/she can apply a force on the rotation disk to swivel the rotation disk horizontally relative to the support frame so as to exercise or rehabilitate the user's waist. However, the waist exercising equipment is only available for exercising the user's waist and cannot be user to exercise the user's back, thereby limiting the exercising or rehabilitating function of the waist exercising equipment. In addition, the rotation disk is driven manually by the user and cannot be moved automatically so that the user cannot move the rotation disk easily when his/her body is injured, thereby greatly limiting the rehabilitating function of the rehabilitation exercising equipment.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a rehabilitation exercising equipment, comprising a main frame, a seat mounted on the main frame, and a pivot mechanism pivotally mounted on the main frame and pivotable relative to the seat. The pivot mechanism includes a back support bracket pivotally mounted on the main frame, and an arm support bracket connected with the back support bracket. The main frame includes a transverse support bar, an upright support post mounted on the support bar for mounting the pivot mechanism, an upright support rod mounted on the support bar for mounting the seat, and an upright limit rod mounted on the support bar for limiting an movement of the pivot mechanism.

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a rehabilitation exercising equipment that can extend a user's waist and back.

According to the primary advantage of the present invention, when a user is seated on the seat, he/she can apply a force on the pivot mechanism to pivot the pivot mechanism backward and forward so as to extend and contract the user's waist and back, thereby achieving an exercising or rehabilitating function.

Further benefits and advantages of the present invention will become apparent after a careful reading of the detailed description with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a rehabilitation exercising equipment in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is another perspective view of the rehabilitation exercising equipment as shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the rehabilitation exercising equipment as shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a schematic side operational view of the rehabilitation exercising equipment as shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a schematic side operational view of the rehabilitation exercising equipment as shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a rehabilitation exercising equipment in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the rehabilitation exercising equipment as shown in FIG. 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to the drawings and initially to FIGS. 1-3, a rehabilitation exercising equipment in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a main frame 1, a seat 20 mounted on the main frame 1, and a pivot mechanism 30 pivotally mounted on the main frame 1 and pivotable relative to the seat 20.

The main frame 1 includes a transverse support bar 10, an upright support post 11 mounted on the support bar 10 for mounting the pivot mechanism 30, an upright support rod 12 mounted on the support bar 10, a mounting base 121 mounted on an upper end of the support rod 12 for mounting the seat 20, an upright limit rod 25 mounted on the support bar 10 for limiting an movement of the pivot mechanism 30, a transverse connecting rod 13 mounted between the support post 11 and the support rod 12, an extension bar 14 connected with the support bar 10, and a control panel 26 mounted on the extension bar 14.

The support post 11 of the main frame 1 is disposed between the support rod 12 and the limit rod 25 and has a height greater than that of the support rod 12. The support post 11 of the main frame 1 has an upper end provided with two transverse mounting shafts 111 and 112 for mounting the pivot mechanism 30 pivotally. The control panel 26 of the main frame 1 is preferably an electronic instrument panel.

The pivot mechanism 30 is disposed between the seat 20 and the limit rod 25 of the main frame 1. The pivot mechanism 30 includes a back support bracket 32 pivotally mounted on the main frame 1, an arm support bracket 31 connected with the back support bracket 32, a back cushion 60 mounted on the back support bracket 32, two armrests 50 mounted on the arm support bracket 31, and a waist cushion 40 mounted on the arm support bracket 31.

The back support bracket 32 of the pivot mechanism 30 has a substantially inverted U-shaped profile and has two distal ends connected with the arm support bracket 31. The back support bracket 32 of the pivot mechanism 30 has an upper end provided with a mounting sleeve 321 for mounting the back cushion 60. The back support bracket 32 of the pivot mechanism 30 is provided with two pivot members 33 and 34 pivotally mounted on the main frame 1, and the pivot mechanism 30 further includes two bushings 35 each mounted between the main frame 1 and a respective one of the two pivot members 33 and 34 of the back support bracket 32. The two pivot members 33 and 34 of the back support bracket 32 are rotatably mounted on the two mounting shafts 111 and 112 of the support post 11 respectively.

The arm support bracket 31 of the pivot mechanism 30 has a substantially U-shaped profile and has two opposite ends each provided with a mounting plate 312 for mounting a respective one of the two armrests 50. The arm support bracket 31 of the pivot mechanism 30 has a side provided with a fixing plate 311 for fixing the waist cushion 40. The arm support bracket 31 and the back support bracket 32 of the pivot mechanism 30 are combined to form a substantially L-shaped structure.

In operation, referring to FIGS. 4 and 5 with reference to FIGS. 1-3, the two pivot members 33 and 34 of the back support bracket 32 are pivotally mounted on the two mounting shafts 111 and 112 of the support post 11 respectively so that the pivot mechanism 30 is pivoted on the main frame 1, and is moved relative to the seat 20. In such a manner, when a user is seated on the seat 20 with his/her back resting on the back cushion 60 and with his/her back arms holding the two armrests 50, he/she can apply a force on the back cushion 60 to pivot the pivot mechanism 30 backward and forward as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 so as to extend and retract the user's waist and back, thereby achieving an exercising or rehabilitating function.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, the rehabilitation exercising equipment further comprises a transmission mechanism 70 mounted between the main frame 1 and the pivot mechanism 30. The transmission mechanism 70 includes a drive geared member 36 connected with the pivot mechanism 30 to move in concert with the pivot mechanism 30, a drive unit 80 mounted on the main frame 1, a driving geared member 81 rotatably mounted on the drive unit 80, and a linking member 90 mounted between the driving geared member 81 and the drive geared member 36 to link the driving geared member 81 and the drive geared member 36.

The drive geared member 36 of the transmission mechanism 70 is secured on moved in concert with one of the two pivot members 33 and 34 of the back support bracket 32 and is rotatably mounted on one of the two mounting shafts 111 and 112 of the support post 11. The drive unit 80 of the transmission mechanism 70 is located between the support bar 10, the support post 11, the support rod 12 and the connecting rod 13. The drive unit 80 of the transmission mechanism 70 is electrically connected to and controlled by the control panel 26 of the main frame 1.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the drive unit 80 of the transmission mechanism 70 is a magnetically controlled resistance device. Alternatively, the drive unit 80 of the transmission mechanism 70 is a powered motor. In addition, the linking member 90 of the transmission mechanism 70 is a toothed belt. Alternatively, each of the driving geared member 81 and the drive geared member 36 is a sprocket, while the linking member 90 of the transmission mechanism 70 is a chain.

In operation, when the drive unit 80 of the transmission mechanism 70 is a magnetically controlled resistance device, the drive unit 80 provides a damping force to the driving geared member 81 and the drive geared member 36 by connection of the linking member 90 to damp rotation of one of the two pivot members 33 and 34 so as to provide a resistance to the pivot mechanism 30 so that the user has to apply a larger force to pivot the pivot mechanism 30 relative to the main frame 1, thereby enhancing the exercising or rehabilitating effect. At this time, the damping force of the drive unit 80 is controlled by the control panel 26 of the main frame 1.

Alternatively, when the drive unit 80 of the transmission mechanism 70 is a powered motor, the drive unit 80 drives the driving geared member 81 which drives the linking member 90 which drives the drive geared member 36 which drives one of the two pivot members 33 and 34 so that the pivot mechanism 30 is driven by the drive unit 80 and is pivoted on the main frame 1 so as to achieve a rehabilitating function automatically.

Accordingly, when a user is seated on the seat 20, he/she can apply a force on the pivot mechanism 30 to pivot the pivot mechanism 30 backward and forward so as to extend and contract the user's waist and back, thereby achieving an exercising or rehabilitating function. In addition, the drive unit 80 of the transmission mechanism 70 functions as a magnetically controlled resistance device to provide a damping force to the pivot mechanism 30 so that the user has to apply a larger force to drive the pivot mechanism 30, thereby enhancing the exercising or rehabilitating effect. Further, the drive unit 80 of the transmission mechanism 70 functions as a powered motor to drive the pivot mechanism 30 so that the pivot mechanism 30 is driven by the drive unit 80 and is pivoted relative to the main frame 1 so as to achieve a rehabilitating function automatically.

Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment(s) as mentioned above, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. It is, therefore, contemplated that the appended claim or claims will cover such modifications and variations that fall within the true scope of the invention. 

1. A rehabilitation exercising equipment, comprising: a main frame; a seat mounted on the main frame; and a pivot mechanism pivotally mounted on the main frame and pivotable relative to the seat.
 2. The rehabilitation exercising equipment of claim 1, wherein the pivot mechanism includes: a back support bracket pivotally mounted on the main frame; and an arm support bracket connected with the back support bracket.
 3. The rehabilitation exercising equipment of claim 2, wherein the pivot mechanism further includes a back cushion mounted on the back support bracket; the back support bracket of the pivot mechanism has an upper end provided with a mounting sleeve for mounting the back cushion.
 4. The rehabilitation exercising equipment of claim 2, wherein the back support bracket of the pivot mechanism is provided with two pivot members pivotally mounted on the main frame.
 5. The rehabilitation exercising equipment of claim 4, wherein the pivot mechanism further includes two bushings each mounted between the main frame and a respective one of the two pivot members of the back support bracket.
 6. The rehabilitation exercising equipment of claim 2, wherein the pivot mechanism further includes two armrests mounted on the arm support bracket.
 7. The rehabilitation exercising equipment of claim 6, wherein the arm support bracket of the pivot mechanism has two opposite ends each provided with a mounting plate for mounting a respective one of the two armrests.
 8. The rehabilitation exercising equipment of claim 2, wherein the pivot mechanism further includes a waist cushion mounted on the arm support bracket.
 9. The rehabilitation exercising equipment of claim 8, wherein the arm support bracket of the pivot mechanism has a side provided with a fixing plate for fixing the waist cushion.
 10. The rehabilitation exercising equipment of claim 2, wherein the main frame includes: a transverse support bar; an upright support post mounted on the support bar for mounting the pivot mechanism; an upright support rod mounted on the support bar for mounting the seat; and an upright limit rod mounted on the support bar for limiting an movement of the pivot mechanism.
 11. The rehabilitation exercising equipment of claim 10, wherein the main frame further includes a mounting base mounted on an upper end of the support rod for mounting the seat; the pivot mechanism is disposed between the seat and the limit rod of the main frame; the support post of the main frame is disposed between the support rod and the limit rod; the support post of the main frame has a height greater than that of the support rod.
 12. The rehabilitation exercising equipment of claim 10, wherein the support post of the main frame has an upper end provided with two transverse mounting shafts for mounting the pivot mechanism pivotally; the back support bracket of the pivot mechanism is provided with two pivot members pivotally mounted on the main frame; the two pivot members of the back support bracket are rotatably mounted on the two mounting shafts of the support post respectively.
 13. The rehabilitation exercising equipment of claim 2, wherein the back support bracket of the pivot mechanism has a substantially inverted U-shaped profile and has two distal ends connected with the arm support bracket; the arm support bracket of the pivot mechanism has a substantially U-shaped profile; the arm support bracket and the back support bracket of the pivot mechanism are combined to form a substantially L-shaped structure.
 14. The rehabilitation exercising equipment of claim 10, wherein the rehabilitation exercising equipment further comprises a transmission mechanism mounted between the main frame and the pivot mechanism; the transmission mechanism includes: a drive geared member connected with the pivot mechanism to move in concert with the pivot mechanism; a drive unit mounted on the main frame; a driving geared member rotatably mounted on the drive unit; and a linking member mounted between the driving geared member and the drive geared member to link the driving geared member and the drive geared member.
 15. The rehabilitation exercising equipment of claim 14, wherein the back support bracket of the pivot mechanism is provided with two pivot members pivotally mounted on the main frame; the drive geared member of the transmission mechanism is secured on moved in concert with one of the two pivot members of the back support bracket and is rotatably mounted on the support post.
 16. The rehabilitation exercising equipment of claim 14, wherein the main frame further includes a transverse connecting rod mounted between the support post and the support rod; the drive unit of the transmission mechanism is located between the support bar, the support post, the support rod and the connecting rod.
 17. The rehabilitation exercising equipment of claim 14, wherein the main frame further includes: an extension bar connected with the support bar; and a control panel mounted on the extension bar; the drive unit of the transmission mechanism is electrically connected to and controlled by the control panel of the main frame.
 18. The rehabilitation exercising equipment of claim 14, wherein the drive unit of the transmission mechanism is a magnetically controlled resistance device or a powered motor.
 19. The rehabilitation exercising equipment of claim 14, wherein the linking member of the transmission mechanism is a toothed belt.
 20. The rehabilitation exercising equipment of claim 14, wherein the each of the driving geared member and the drive geared member is a sprocket; and the linking member of the transmission mechanism is a chain. 